Carroll Academy has a prime opportunity to snap its three-game losing streak Friday night against Oak Hill Academy.
The Rebels (3-4) have had recent success against the Raiders (3-4), outscoring them 123-13 over their past three meetings. Nonetheless, seventh-year CA head coach Bo Milton expects his secondary to be tested by Oak Hill’s pass-happy offense.
“They throw the ball all over the field,” Milton said. “They going to try to throw the ball probably about 75 percent of the time. We have to be disciplined in our coverage, disciplined in our drops. We have to continue to work on our offensive line to get better there. Better pass protection will help us be more balanced on offense.”
Noah Beck, a junior who led the state in interceptions last season, will be called upon to step up along with fellow corner Drake Dunn, a first-year starter.
“They’ve been very solid, very consistent,” Milton said. “We’ve been kind of inconsistent with our pass rush. That’s the key. The best pass defense is a pass rush.”
The Raiders are coming off a 29-7 setback at North Delta while the Rebels are looking to rebound from a 56-18 loss at Tri-County Academy last week.
- Amanda Elzy at Palmer — The young Panthers (1-5) got plenty of experience in last week’s loss, a triple-overtime heartbreaker against Thomas Edwards. Now they need to learn from their mistakes and recharge in time for Friday night’s trip to Palmer.
“I’m interested to see how our guys are going to bounce back,” first-year Elzy head coach Morris Bush said. “I think we’re starting to turn a corner.”
Elzy will be seeking its first non-forfeit win against a Dragons (1-4) squad which only has one victory this season against Strayhorn.
“They have a quick team,” Bush said. “They’re fast, athletic and get after it from the opening kickoff to the final drive.
“We’re going to match up pretty good with them athletically,” he added. “We may be slightly bigger than them.”
- Delta Streets at Riverside — The Lions were dealt a brutal blow during their sixth loss in a row last week when top receiver James Harris had to be hospitalized with a dislocated elbow.
The standout DSA senior had totaled over 200 yards and two touchdowns against Benton two weeks ago in addition to returning two kickoffs for touchdowns before exiting with an injury last week against Winona Christian.
“He was on a crazy run,” second-year DSA head coach Travis Upshaw said.
Nevertheless, the Lions still have a solid chance to pick up their first real win of the season Friday at Riverside (0-5). The good news for DSA is that Draper Aldridge, a junior transfer from Leflore County who has been the Lions’ No. 2 receiver this season even with a cast on his dominant right hand, got his cast removed Wednesday. Aldridge should help with DSA’s depth issues at receiver.
“I hope you catch that good with your cast off,” Upshaw joked with Aldridge.
- Contact Riley Overend at 662-581-7237 or roverend@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow @OverendOut on Twitter.
